Works if: You and your spouse have both reached full retirement age.
Your spouse cannot collect a spousal benefit based on your earning’s record until you have applied for your own social security retirement benefit. If you plan on continuing to work, you may not want to start benefits yet, instead wanting to maximize your social security benefits by accumulating delayed retirement credits, which are applied up until your age 70.
The good news: you can apply for social security and then immediately suspend your benefits. This allows your spouse to begin collecting a spousal benefit based on your earnings record, while you continue to work, letting your own benefit continue to grow. This strategy will also leave your spouse with a much larger survivor benefit if you should be the first to die.
Caution: This strategy works if both you and your spouse have reached full retirement age. If either of you have not reached full retirement age, watch out, you could cause a permanent reduction in your social security benefits by applying early.
